Detachable is the new black. We had a chance to see the birth of detachable tablets with the first Android based Asus Transformer and it was proven to be an interesting concept. This was back in late March 2011, more than two years ago. You get a tablet that gets an additional functionality and battery life when docked.

It took HP some two years to realize that this is a good thing, and it has listed three new systems based on this new (old) concept. The one out of three detachable systems is available today is the ENVY X2 and it runs Windows 8. Under the bonnet if features an Atom Z2760 at 1.8GHz, 2GB RAM and 64GB+ of storage. It comes with 11.6 inch LED backlit IPS touch screen with a disappointing 1366x768 resolution and weights 3.11 lbs (1.41 KG) has two cameras 8MP rear facing and 1080P HD front facing for chatting purposes. It starts from $649.99. At press time it looks like some versions, the one with Windows 8 $649 and the one with Windows 8 Pro that costs $699 were sold out.

The SlateBook X2 detachable is based on the Tegra 4 at 1.8GHz running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. It should be available in August time and it starts at a quite acceptable $479. This is a 10.1-inch full HD touchscreen with 1920x1200 resolution, 2.8 lbs (1.27 kg) weight and up to 64GB eMMC drive, 2GB 1600 DDR3L memory, 1080p rear facing camera and 720p front facing webcam with TrueVision technology. The detachable keyboard has 91 percent of size of a standard island style keyboard as well as a click pad that supports multi touch gestures. It is rather ironic that above the Android based tablet listing HP chose to use its “HP recommends Windows” logo.

The third choice and the most expensive is called Split X2 and is a 13.3 inch touch screen 1366x768 based detachable and with weights mere 4.84lbs or 2.2kg. It supports up to 128GB mSATA drive plus 500GB HDD, 2GB 1600 DDR3L memory and even one USB 3.0 and microSD reader but with Windows 8 prices start at $799.99.

The Atom based Envy X2 and Tegra 4 based SlateBook X2 come with a combo audio jack, one USB 2.0, SD card slot and HDMI as well as 802.11ac+ Bluetooth support.